Watchcase.



No. 634,919. Patented Oct. I7, |899. H. F. STEINMEYER.

W A T C H C AS E (Application med Mar. 17, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

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No. 634,9I9. Patented Oct. I7, i899. H. F. STEINMEYER.

WATCHCASE.

(Application led Har. 17, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT 'GEEICE HERMANN FRIEDRICH STEINMEYER, OF PFORZHEIM, GERMANY.

WATC HCAS E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,919, dated October 17, 1899.

Application iiled March I7, 1899. Serial No` 709,470. (No model-l To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMANN FRIEDRICH STEINMEYER, a subject of the Grand Duke of Baden, and a resident of Pforzheim, in the Grand Duchy of Badenerman Empire, have invented certain newr and useful Improve ments in VVatch-Casings, of which the following is an exact speciiication.

The present invention relates to improve` ments in watches in which the work is contained within a special casing, and has for its object to provide an opening-and-closing device which can be actuated without injuring the mechanism of the watch, which hitherto often has been the case.

In my construction I use a spring provided with a locking and lifting spring and opening the coverof the casing when pressing upon a button suitably attached to said spring. The chief feature of my invention is that the cover of the watch-casing can be opened and closed without the winding stem suffering under the pressure necessary to effect the opening, thereby injuring the mechanism. The winding-stein of the watch is IiXed in different positions by means of pawls engaging into notches provided at different places of the winding-stem. Vhen this latter is iixed in its lowest position, the locking and lifting spring can eifect the opening of the cover of the casing without the winding-stein being actuated in any way, and while in this position the watch may be wound up. IVhen the winding-stem is drawn upward, the pawls engage into the lower notch and no connection will be between the Winding-stem and the mechanism. Consequently the inner casing can be opened.

My invention will be more fully understood with reference to the accompanying drawings,

y in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the different views,and in which Figure l shows a watch-casing ona large scale7 the cover being opened in dotted lines and the inner casing containing the mechanism being partly opened in dotted lines. Fig. 2 shows a vertical section, on a large scale, through the pendant containing the opening mechanism. Fig. 3 illustrates a vertical section rectangular to Fig. 2 and made through line a; no of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 illustrates the spring 7b when the cover of the casin g is closed. Fig.

5 is a horizontal section through line 'y of the spring 71` and the guide t'.

The watclrcasing consists of a casing proper, a, having a pendant h rigidly connected to its top, and a cover c hinged to the lower extremity of the casing. \Vithin this outer casing d an inner casing e, serving to take up the mechanism, is arranged,adapted to rotate by means of a joint d. The cover c and the inner casing c are kept in place by means of a spring g, having a locking and lifting spring ff. The spring g is connected to the cover c by means of a spring-arm g' and a connecting-rod g2. The automatic opening of the cover will be effected as soon as the lockingspring f', retaining the cover, is released. The spring g is keptin position by means of a second spring 7i, being of circular form and having lateral projections 7L 71.' and noses h2 71?, Fig. 7. Around thisspring 7i a guide is provided, carrying elastic arms 1' t", Fig. S. This guide t', forming the bearing of the spring 72.., is rigidly connected to the pendant l) by means of the screws 3, Figs. 2 and 3. The spring 7L is arranged in such a manner that its noses h2 are located between the arms t" i of the guide-spring` t.

Between the springs 7L and 'i a rod 7c is located. rlhe lower extremity of this rod is connected to a winding-stein Z. The top of the rod 7.: is formed into a knob In, serving to lift and to turn the winding-stem Z. The rod 7U' is provided with two notches 7s. and 7.52. 3e tween these two notches the rod Y.: is enlarged somewhat and forms an oval piece 7c3. The knob m is brought in connection with the pendant Z) by means of a tube m, sliding within the pendant l). The rod 7c, and consequently the winding-stem Lean be retained in two different positions-first, in a low position, and, secondly, in a high position. This retaining or fixing of the rod 7.; is effected by the noses 7L?, engaging either into the notch 7V" or 7.12. IVhen the rod is raised, the oval part 7c3 spreads somewhat the springarms i of the guide-spring I'. Both positions of the winding-stem t and of the rod k-that is to say, the lowest position in which the mechanism can be wound up and the highest position in which the winding-stem l is ont of IOD connection with the ineehanismmare repro sented in Figs. and i.

Fig. t shows the lowest position of the spring, in which the lateral projections 71, 7L of the spring 71, press against the heads fr? 1'? of the spring-arms t 1". In the lowest position of the rod 7i: the spring 7L can be pushed downward by pressure exerted upon a button n, provided within the knob m forwinding up the mechanism. This pressure can be effected without the winding-stein Zifor winding up the mechanism being actuated in any way. The independent motion in this ease is attained by a disk (l, located above the spring 71J and connected to the button vt by tongues p. As soon as the locking-springf is released the cover c will open.

The mechanism is actuated in the following manner: When the casing dis closed and the button n is pressed down, the movement is transmitted by the tongues p tothe disk q and vfrom there to the spring 7L and to the spring g. 'lhe latter is pressed down, and the lockingspring f/ liberates the casing-cover, which then will open automatically by action of the spring g and the rod g2. Then the button n is liberated and the knob in for winding up the mechanism is drawn upward, the springarms t" t" are spread somewhat by the oval part 7sS of the rod 7x. At the same time the spring 7L is pushed upward by the spring g, so that the projections 71 71,' of the spring 7L keep spread the heads t2 t2 of the spring-arms t" 1li-that is to say, the spring 7t,-with its lateral projections 7L 7L', is iixed. (See Fig. 3.) Then the rod 7s is drawn farther upward, the noses h2 7i2 engage into the lower notch k2, and the rod 71; is fixed in this lower position. New the inner casing containing the work is released from the locking-springfand can be removed. In again pushing downward the knob m the projections 71, 7L ot the spring 7L are drawn out of the heads 2t? of the springa arms 1i' i, when the oval part 7sS of the rod 7c passes through these heads and spreads them.

l The spring 71, thon takes the position shown in Figs. 2 and The spring /t is now again in its original position and submitted to the movements ot' the button 11., thus merely effecting the opening of the cover c.

' Having thus fully described the nature ot this invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States isl. In watch-casings7 the combination with a main casing ct, an inner casing containing the mechanism c, and a cover c, both niovably connected to the main casing a, a pendant Z1 located at the top of the casing d, a rod 7U" carryin g a knob m, notches 7s 7a2 provided in said rod, a winding-stem 7 attached to the lower extremity of the rod 7.', a spring r, a button n, means to connect said button to the locking-springs ff arresting and liberating the cover c, a spring-arm g connected to the spring g and means to transmit the pressure effected upon the button n, a circular spring 7L having lateral project-ions 71, 71, and noses 7L2 71,2, subsequently engaging with the notches 7.1 7;?, a guide i with spring-arms l1 'i' having heads 1'? '122, the whole substantially as described.

In watch-casings, the combination of a circular spring` 71, having lateral projections 7L' 71,' and noses 712 7a2, with a guide t' surrounding said spring 7L and having spring-arms 1I i', with heads i2 1'?, a plate (l located above the spring 71 tongues p connecting said disk to a button 111 a spring g having a locking and lifting springff retaining and liberating the cover of the watch-casing, a rod 7J provided with notches 7a 7a2, a winding-stem 7 attached to said rod, a knob m forming the top of the f rod 7u, substantially and for the purpose as i set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence ot two witnesses.

HERMANN FRIEDRICH S'llllNilIllllll. lVitnesses:

A. SCHAAL, l O. Gnnssnn'o. 

